Once the room had fallen silent again, Hiruzen straightened, his voice calm but firm as he resumed. "In the last few years, it has been no secret that undercurrents have existed between Konoha and the joint alliance of Kirigakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure."
Murmurs rippled through the chamber, but he continued without pause. "Of course, we faced sabotage and made sacrifices, but we endured. Our greatest concern, however, was Kumogakure. After their loss during the destruction of the Uzumaki Clan, we expected harsh retaliation, perhaps even that they would join the other three great villages after recovering their strength. Such a move could easily have sparked another war."
His gaze shifted, meeting Shikaku Nara's eyes with deliberate intent.
"But… that was not the case."
Shikaku, quick to grasp the Hokage's signal, leaned forward slightly, his tone deliberate. "Yes. Their last major action was the takeover of the Land of Snow. It seems that the Daimyo of Lightning had certain agreements in place, and so the Land of Snow officially became part of the Land of Lightning. Initially, we thought Kumogakure was preparing for war. They had closed their borders permanently after their loss, but when they acted, it was not with aggression; it was with commerce. From then on, it became clear the Land of Lightning had immersed itself in business. Even Kumogakure, weakened as it was, likely had no choice but to follow their Daimyo's intentions and avoid further conflicts, and curb their ambitions after their losses from the destruction."
Hiruzen gave a slow nod and pressed on. "Over the years, the Land of Snow has become a hub of trade for the world, an economic center from which nearly every country has benefited. Even we in Konoha have missions tied to its growing trade, which is managed entirely under the Land of Lightning's authority. From technology to media, their influence has spread. The now-famous WorldMart is one of their enterprises, a chain where the specialties of every nation can be found. Under the Daimyo's order, even the Land of Fire's grain and produce are directly sold there, forming part of cross-country agreements. Our nobles are eager to participate, as their goods can reach markets far beyond our borders."
At this, Jiraiya, never one to sit in silence, scratched his head and frowned. "But what does any of that have to do with Kumogakure and us? Isn't this just the business of the Land of Lightning?"
Danzo, arms folded, scoffed dismissively. "Jiraiya, you're as naive as ever. If the Land of Lightning grows prosperous, Kumogakure will naturally gain greater funding. Do you think Konoha's strength comes only from our shinobi? No, it is also from the wealth of our Daimyo that sustains us."
Hiruzen sighed softly at the exchange, his expression betraying the weariness of long years in leadership. "That is true, Danzo. But we cannot interfere directly. Too many countries and too many individuals have vested interests there. There have been attempts, of course, tasks placed on the black market targeting the Land of Snow's trade hub. But none have succeeded. Kumogakure has deployed its forces there with vigilance surpassing even wartime borders."
Shikaku, who had been listening carefully, added his insight. "In addition to various custom food and necessities exported by all countries, the Land of Lightning has become the largest exporter of technology and products. By amount, they now stand second only to the Land of Fire, with other countries following behind with similar gaps. And that does not even include their business, enterprises like WorldMart. But the real key is this; while they are among the top exporters, they are also the largest importer in the world by far. This means other nations are selling their goods to the Land of Lightning on an unprecedented scale. Everyone profits by dealing with them, which explains why their trade is thriving."
The room was quiet, each word sinking in with weight. Hiruzen folded his hands together, his expression solemn. "Shikaku is correct. The trade centered in the Land of Snow is beyond our reach. Even those dissatisfied with it can do little but turn to black market sabotage, yet even that has failed."
"Almost every nation, every merchant, and even rival ninja villages profit from it, basically everyone is not only selling their own produces and products, for a very smile price compared to the usual cost of trade, due to the Land of Snow's means in trade routes and development, most importantly the Land of Lightning is the biggest importer meaning they buy things from every place and people, and thus these places make money and their livelihood is dependent on these business transaction, and touching Land of Snow means, going after everyone's interest and cutting of their path to wealth, so it is an extremely bad decision to target the Land of Snow's business; for which our knowledge is limited to what we see flowing in and out of the Land of Snow in the open, and it's still hard to grasp due to its shear scale. The truth of their operations remains closed to outsiders. What we do know is that the scale is immense, land routes, sea routes, all bustling with activity beyond our ability to track. The Land of Lightning has managed the Land of Snow as a closed state where only materials come in from outside, and even business dealings are made outside of the Land of Snow, and so we are left with speculations."
He paused, his eyes scanning the room, the weight of his words heavy. "That is why we have always remained cautious. The Land of Lightning is the second-largest exporter, yes, but as the largest importer, they are also amassing resources from every corner of the world. We cannot ignore the possibility that Kumogakure may be stockpiling strength under the guise of trade. And now… with their sudden deployment of ninja teams to the other three great villages, I fear the storm we hoped to avoid may finally be drawing near. Another war could be at our doorstep."